On Sunday afternoon, visitors were seen—each with a ticket in one hand and a wrist band made of Jasmine flowers on the other—entering the Triveni Kala Sangam auditorium, Mandi House. It was the opening show of Tara, Compass Crow, a dance theatre production by Tansy Troy, a performer and educator, in collaboration with Jacob’s Dance Company. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where one feels they are in touch with nature,” Tansy shared—talking about the Jasmine flowers—post the 45-minute performance.
Tara, Compass Crow is a simple yet engrossing tale of Tara (played by Benjamin Jacob), a crow that works on a ship and helps his captain (‘Captain Speed’ played by Tushar Bhardwaj) and the crew reach their destination. After a storm displaces them from their path, Tara flies to the nearby island where he helps the captured birds find freedom.
Straight from a storybook
Back in the time, during early civilizations such as in ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Egyptian, and the Indus Valley civilization, crows (and other avian species) would often help ships navigate their way to the shore, mentions Troy who shuttles between Rohtak, Delhi, and Manali. “There are remains in the form of seals that show ships being guided by crows.” It was this basic piece of information that inspired Troy to craft a story around “a bird who led a ship to a magical island”.
Troy’s thought was taken forward by Jacob—a dance instructor and the founder of Kalkaji-based Jacob’s Dance Company. “Tansy came to me with this idea and she was very passionate about it. I took a week to think about what we could do. When we met, we just started experimenting; it was without a script, just a short story,” shares the 29-year-old, adding that the process of making this production was organic.
The dance-drama production titled Tara, Compass Crow brings together a basic storyline and enhances the same with brilliant dance moves—across genres such as ballet, contemporary, belly dance, and more—and a huge array of musical instruments such as the tabla, cajon, darbuka, etc., (played by Pranshu Chatur Lal) further augmented by Troy’s vocals. The costumes, particularly the ornate masks of the birds, have been created by Troy herself.
Beyond the obvious theme
The central message of this play is environmental conservation. “Most of this story communicates the message of the beauty of nature and the need to conserve the same, all while we note India’s biodiversity,” adds Troy. By the end of the performance, the performers were among the audience, prompting children—who were seated there—to join them and dance along. As the young ones initiated to emulate the steps, the adults had smiles plastered on their faces.
With Tara, Compass Crow, Troy and Jacob wanted to create something that could expose young people to theatre all while educating them, something they most certainly achieved with this debut performance. “I felt like a kid. My imagination went to a different place altogether. The message was really strong that humans can be cruel—that meant a lot. This play will definitely make an impact if they take it further,” Isha Kakkar (18) from Chittaranjan Park.
The group now looks forward to performing the play in more spaces so as to take it the same to more children—their prime audience.
CHECK IT OUT
WHAT: Mask-making and performance playshops with the crew
WHEN: From July 24; 11:00 am to 12:30 pm for five Sundays
WHERE: Triveni Kala Sangam, Tansen Marg
PRICE: Rs 4,000+